UMUC Europe Syllabus for ARAB 333

(Conducted in English) A study of Arabic and Moslem culture as embodied in literary, artistic, social, and religious traditions. Emphasis is on historical development.

Course Goals/Objectives:

The goal of the course is to impart to the student knowledge of the events and personalities which contribute to the Arabic nations. Certainly history must serve as a framework in this course; but the emphasis is really on the people, on their political, intellectual, and culture developments, hence on their contributions to Western civilization and society.

Course Introduction:

ARAB 333 concerns itself with the development of historical, political, social, and cultural elements of the Arabs. The course aims to provide a broad background study of these areas so that Arab history and culture illuminate each other. The Arabs are part of the Hamito-Semitic race and thus related to Hebrews and Ethiopians. More than 200 million people living in 21 countries extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Persian Gulf are the called the Arabs of the Middle East and northern Africa. Arabic is the language of the Quran, the sacred book of the Islamic religion, and is also an official language of the United Nations.

Grading Information and Criteria:

The final grade in this course will be based on the following activities: In-class participation 20 points Weekly Written assignments 20 points Course paper and presentation 30 points Final exam 30 points Total 100 points A = 90-100 points B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = below 60 There are no extra credit assignments available as substitutes or make-ups for any of the course requirements.

Other Information:

Any other information the instructor wishes to add. This might include: * General expectations of students, such as hours per week students should expect to devote to the class * Turnaround time for faculty to respond to email and return papers * Unique class procedures or activities (such as cooperative learning exercises, panel presentations, case study methods, class journals or learning logs) * Supplemental objectives (such as development of skills like teamwork, writing, oral presentation; integration of knowledge on focus topics) * Optional activities such as study groups

Project Descriptions:

Arabs are always in the news. For the eight weeks you spend in this course you are to "stay tuned" to the Arabic news via the Internet. Every other week (starting in week # 2), you are to locate an article on a relevant topic (preferably something we discussed during the previous week) and submit the summary of the article in your own words along with some comments regarding your own thoughts about the article. Each submission should be approximately 1 - 1 1/2 typed, double spaced pages and should not exceed 3 pages. Please be careful and make sure your papers do not and contain numerous spelling or grammatical errors. These write-ups are due on Saturday of weeks 2,4,6, and 8. Course paper and presentation Each student or group of students will write and make a presentation about an Arab country as assigned in class.

Academic Policies:

Cases of plagiarism are handled consistent with current UMUC guidelines. See the UMUC policies at the following URL: http://www.umuc.edu/policy/

Course Schedule:

Session 1 * Introductions, course requirements, agreements, etc. Session 2 * Introduction * Background * The Arab World Map Session 3 * The Arab Countries: Similarities and Differences Session 4 * The Arabian Gulf States * The Arabian Peninsula States Session 5 * Beliefs and Values * Friends and Strangers Session 6 * Emotion and Logic * Getting Personal Session 7 * Men and Women Session 8 * The Social Structure * The role of the Family Session 9 * Social Formalities and Etiquette Session 10 * Etiquette Session 11 * Religion and Society Session 12 * Muslims and Arabs in the West Session 13 * The Arabic Language Session 14 * The Arabic Language Session 15 * Communicating with Arabs Session 16 * Final Exam